A brief history of the no-name playoff hero

Joel Ward, graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island and a roller hockey league somewhere in Florida, woke up in a tie for the NHL playoff scoring lead Sunday. The 30-year-old had seven goals in 11 games with the Nashville Predators, leaving him three shy of his regular season total (10 goals in 80 games).

Did you draft him in the office pool? How about Sean Bergenheim, who has seven goals through 11 playoff games with Tampa Bay after scoring 14 in 80 during the season?

No? You’re not alone.

Do not feel too badly, though, Ward and Bergenheim are not the first unexpected playoff heroes:

John Druce, Washington Capitals1990: 17 points in 15 gamesCareer average: 0.45 points/game
The patron saint of unexpected playoff heroics, Druce stepped into an opening and helped the Capitals to the conference championship. “It’s my calling card,” he told The Hockey News in 2009, “and when you think about it, it’s been nearly 20 years since that happened and every year in the playoffs, my name comes up.”

Chris Kontos, Los Angeles Kings1989: Nine goals in 11 gamesCareer average: 0.53 points/game
Los Angeles was the third NHL team of his career, which had also come to include stops in Tulsa (CHL), New Haven (AHL), Ilves Tampere (Finland) and Muskegon (IHL). Not exactly a promise of greatness. Playing on the power-play with Wayne Gretzky can do some amazing things, though, including beating The Great One’s old team, the Oilers.

Alyn McCauley, Toronto Maple Leafs2002: 15 points in 20 gamesCareer average: 0.34 points/game
A junior hockey standout who had run into concussion trouble, McCauley jumped from his spot on the fourth line when captain Mats Sundin fell to injury. Leafs coach Pat Quinn put the then-24-year-old between wingers Gary Roberts and Jonas Hoglund, and watched as the line tore through the Ottawa Senators en route to the conference final.

Jan Hrdina, Pittsburgh Penguins2000: 12 points in nine gamesCareer average: 0.58 points/game
In his first full season away from his native Czech Republic, Hrdina scored 41 goals and 100 points with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League. His progression was somewhere slower in the NHL, though he did manage 42 points as a rookie with the Penguins. He never did better than he did in that playoff run to the conference semifinal.

Fernando Pisani, Edmonton Oilers2006: 18 points in 24 gamesCareer Average: 0.36 points/game
Five years from his run to the finals with Edmonton, Pisani was a late addition to Chicago’s playoff lineup this year. “A lot of times in the playoffs it’s the guys who are least expected to provide scoring or change the momentum in a game or series,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told The Chicago Tribune. Pisani was held without a point in three games.